FleishmanHillard’s TRUE is an award-winning online magazine that features insights from thought leaders in the worlds of communications, marketing and media. Our goal is to create a dynamic community of executives, academics, authors and practitioners—a platform on which issues will be debated, problems analyzed, innovations proposed and best practices celebrated. We launch a themed issue quarterly and update weekly, but we’re looking for new ideas and new writers every day.

FleishmanHillard’s TRUE is an award-winning online magazine that features insights from thought leaders in the worlds of communications, marketing and media. Our goal is to create a dynamic community of executives, academics, authors and practitioners—a platform on which issues will be debated, problems analyzed, innovations proposed and best practices celebrated. We launch a themed issue quarterly and update weekly, but we’re looking for new ideas and new writers every day.

Digital & Social Media

American Girl Redefines Squad Goals

By Sara Hinds (FleishmanHillard)

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What happened:

American Girl is changing the girl power game in pop culture, one ‘usie’ at a time. Always a traditional and celebrated brand, American Girl’s new campaign is challenging how the public perceives girls. The common theme among brands targeting girls is to raise their self-esteem and promote their strength and individuality. American Girl is saying take it a step further. Yes, girls are strong individuals, so think about how strong they would be if they worked together. Powering this ‘better together’ campaign is a social media push to replace ‘selfie’ with ‘usie’ and three TV spots named “Together We Make the Holidays.” The campaign comes after American Girl saw sales drop last year for the first time since 2010. And it’s just in time for the holidays and the brand’s 30th anniversary next year – a perfect segway into reaching a new generation of American Girl lovers and creating a bond between mother and daughter.

What this means for brands:

American Girl has every right to be a player amongst other brands in the current girl power culture. But they called an audible and became the leader for girls and brands with their new campaign. Rather than crowd the scene with another message about individual girls’ strength, American Girl took the conversation one step further. American Girl seems to have pulled an idea or two from the Taylor Swift playbook, preaching about the strength of awesome girls combining friendships to become unstoppable as a squad. But it’s a fresh positioning for a brand on a topic that’s so hot and fiery right now.